With the holidays just around the corner, most of us are settling into the Christmas shopping routine – and looking forward to those few days away from the pressures and strains of our normal lives.

This is a time of the year when we traditionally open up our homes to our families and friends – and open up our wallets to ensure that everybody receives gifts.

It is therefore a good time for us to reflect on our normal Christmas behaviours. Let’s not just think in terms of buying material goods for friends and family, but also about actions and gestures that benefit humankind and other creatures we share the planet with. 

Why not replace Uncle Tony’s new pair of socks and Aunt Gwen’s new purse with a gift to an animal at a rescue centre? How about forgetting Dad’s new shaver and Mum’s new pair of slippers – and going with an adopted animal from a reputable animal welfare charity working so hard to provide these animals with the gift of life? 

You can show your family that Christmas can still be about giving and receiving, but does not need to be about consuming material goods. In doing so, your Christmas can benefit your family, an animal in a less fortunate position than many of our own beloved pets, and the environment. 

And once you have made the step into replacing your family’s gifts with gifts in kind, think about the impact on animals’ lives you could have by going one step further and making your Christmas entirely cruelty-free.

These are perfect times for us to show our compassion. And if you can go cruelty-free there are a multitude of mouth-watering options.

No apologies for reminding you that Christmas is not a good time to be a farm animal, as our dinner tables fill with turkey, pig, chicken and duck. When we sit down to enjoy a happy feast, many of us remain unaware of the suffering that the animals presented before us have endured to get to our plates.

Often what we expect to see and what convenience dictates can actually mean increased hardship for animals. For example – demands for a larger bird with more breast meat have given form to an industry genetically designing birds for eating, not for living. The birds they breed are characterised by heart failure, lameness, leg deformities and hip degeneration.

At Christmas – a time when we often meet up with far-flung friends and family for rare reunions – it’s worth remembering that all animals are social. If a meat-free Christmas is out of the question for your gathering, at least remember turkeys also have a “flock” and deserve to be raised in an environment that meets their needs.

Beyond the above if you want to find out more about the turkey farming industry, you can do so here. Just be warned, it’s not an easy read.

We traditionally “spare a thought” at Christmas for the less well-off. As a society we need to recognise that also includes animals. This “thought” is vital – so much cruelty is down to a lack of it. Working in Asia we’re often coming up against inhumane local traditions – but an inability to question what we take as “normality” can allow cruelty to continue to flourish in any location.

So please, extend your thoughts and your goodwill to animals this Christmas. Increasing numbers are aiming to make their celebrations “cruelty-free”. If you can’t make that step then do what you can to lessen your impact. If you’re a meat eater that soon tires of turkey leftovers – why not make Monday December 28 your first Meatless Monday? Who knows, it might inspire a New Year’s Resolution.

We are all animals, and sharing goodwill genuinely increases our contentment. Spreading joy – not just to humankind but also to animalkind – can only make for a happier festive season all around. 

For some cruelty-free ideas of what to cook this Christmas, visit the Vegan Recipe Club at http://veganrecipeclub.org.uk/christmas

To buy a gift for our bears, please go here: http://bit.ly/aafxmas

BACK